There were several little naked negro children running about Mrs Sally, but the objects of her immediate attention were a brown male child, of about eight years old, and two little mulatto girls, a year or two his seniors apparently. The children had their primers in their hands, and Sally held an open book in one of hers. The girls appeared, with the aptness of their sex, to have said their lessons to her satisfaction, but the little cock-yellowhammer seemed a dull concern; and as I looked, she gave him a smart switch over his broadest end with her cowskin. "Try again, you stupid _black_-head"--(his head was black enough certainly)--"now mind--what doz you do wid your eyes?" "I sees wid dem." "You is right for one time--what doz you do wid your yees?"--(ears.) "I hears wid dem." "Bery well--you sees you is not so stupid when you attends--you only lazy--so now--what doz you do wid your foots?" "Walks wid dem." "Bery well, indeed--now mind again--what doz you do wid your nose?" This was a puzzler apparently--the poor little yellowhammer scratched his head, and eke his behind, and looked into the tree, and all manner of ways, when seeing Mammy Sally's fingers creeping along the table towards the cowskin,--he rapped out, "I _picks_ him." "_Picks_ him, sir!--_picks_ him!"--shouted Sally threatening him. "No"--blubbered the poor boy--"no, mammy--no, I _blows_ him sometimes." "You nassy snattary little willain--what is dat you say--you _smells_ wid him, sir--you _smells_ wid him." Another whack across his nether end, and a yell from yellowhammer.--"Now, sir, what you doz wid your mout?" "_Nyam plawn_."[3] [3] Creole for "_eat plantain_." "Bery well--dat is not so far wrong--you does _nyam plawn_ wid him--but next time be more genteel, and say--you eats wid him. Now, sir--read your catechism, sir--begin--Mammy Juba--de toad of a boy--if him no hab de wrong side of de book turn up--ah ha--massa--you don't know de difference between de tap from de battam of de book yet?--Let me see if I can find out de difference between, for you own tap and battam."